The “tragedy of the commons” refers to the phenomenon where
A) individuals are free riders.
B) people overuse a common resource.
C) people do not internalize an externality.
D) there is rivalry in consumption.
Article Summary
A growing number of U.S. citizens are going to other countries for elective surgery
procedures. Improved quality and significant cost savings abroad have attracted an
increasing number of what are being referred to as American medical tourists,
especially those who either do not have insurance or whose insurance does not cover
the desired procedure. As few as five years ago, Americans tended to travel to countries
such as Thailand or Mexico for the procedures, but many are now choosing to go to
Europe, where governments and hospitals are now publicizing these services. Many of
the procedures being done overseas are joint replacement, and partly in response to the
number of patients going abroad for these procedures, programs are being developed to
reduce the cost of these surgeries in the United States.
Source: Elizabeth Rosenthal, “The Growing Popularity of Having Surgery Overseas,”
New York Times, August 6, 2013.
Refer to the Article Summary. If more European governments and hospitals begin to
offer and publicize their services to American medical tourists and, due to the growing
number of aging baby boomers, more Americans desire joint-replacement surgery ,
what will happen in the market for joint-replacement surgery as a result of these two
factors?